Brief by Central Staff
Education – March 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine
Leadville School Board Recall Succeeds
It was a close vote, but it did change the school board in Leadville on Feb. 2, with Jack Saunders replacing Ernie Kuhns as the result of a recall election.
Turn-out exceeded expectations. Lake County Clerk Patty Berger had anticipated about 600 voters, and instead, the special election attracted more than 1,100 citizens. That represents nearly 30% of the county’s 3,925 registered voters.
Kuhns received 520 votes for retention, but there were 593 votes to recall him.
The second question on the ballot asked who should replace Kuhns in the event he was recalled, and Saunders was the only candidate running. He got 587 votes, and said he had two goals.
One was to introduce a policy concerning board members who work for the school district or who have close relatives who do — potential conflicts of interest that Kuhns often attacked during his tenure.
The other might be a good policy throughout Central Colorado. “I would also like to shorten the meetings,” Saunders said. “No good decisions are made after nine o’clock.”
